Category Archives: Outreach

Educational Programs, Outreach, Student Research, Sustainable Systems

South Eleuthera Explorers Camp at CEI

Students learning about mangrove ecosystems.
Students learning about mangrove ecosystems.

Last week the Cape Eleuthera Institute and the Island School welcomed 18 South Eleutheran children to campus for a sleep away camp focusing on the world we live in and how we can preserve it. Through the camp the kids, who range in age from 9 to 13, are getting to snorkel, dissect fish, participate in research in the fields of conch and bonefish, and travel to the Ocean hole and Rock Sound caves. All of this is coupled with lessons and education on the nature that these children encounter in their daily lives on the island.

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South Eleuthera Explorers ready to jump off the dock!

It is the hope of the camp that the kids will take back some lessons in water preservation, harmful effects of lionfish on native ecosystems and living a more sustainable life, and further their education on these topics in the future. Continue reading →

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Educational Programs, Outreach, Sustainable Systems

BREEF Seacamp at CEI

IMG_0627After leading the Deep Creek Natural History Camp, two of our Educational Programs staff helped out with the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) week-long SeaCamp. They met up with the campers in Governor’s Harbour (GH) for a field trip. When they got to the Haynes Library, the BREEF camp leader (and IS/CEI alum) – Allanah – had all the kids excited and ready for their first field trip.

IMG_0607The first stop was the Hatchet Bay Caves and then they toured a brand new, organic farm just across from the caves. The kids learned all about the farm including the mango trees that will fruit twice a year and the miracle fruit that makes anything you eat, after eating this fruit, taste like the sweetest thing. It felt like a field trip to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory! Next they went to Cheetah’s pineapple farm and learned about the lost art of farming pineapple in the red soils of Eleuthera. Several kids went home with ‘pineapple slips’, part of the plant you can pop into some water and 19 months late have a fruit to eat. And that was just the morning!
Continue reading →

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Outreach, Sharks, Visiting Scientists

Shark team update- lots of guests visiting CEI!

This week has been a busy one for the Shark Team. We are fortunate to have three wonderful guests on the boat:

Dr. Michael Scholl of the Save Our Seas Foundation arrived Saturday morning followed by Jason Heaton and Gishani Heaton who are here doing a piece for Gear Patrol focusing on the Shark Research and Conservation Program.

We spent Monday out on the boat searching for reef sharks with our physiology project and had some luck! We hooked a Caribbean reef shark quite early and had the chance to get some great photos underwater before bringing the small male to the boat and doing a complete workup. Gishani got some wonderful photos from the boat while Dr. Scholl and Jason were in the water taking video and snapping some photos as well. It was a very successful day and everyone was excited to be a part of such an exciting project. More than anything, we were happy to see the shark swim off unharmed and have a complete data set.

A Caribbean reef shark encountererd during a snorkel.
A Caribbean reef shark encountererd during a snorkel.

Tuesday was full of more shark sets and diving opportunities for Jason and Gishani. We had no luck on the lines, but did have the chance to see a free swimming Caribbean reef shark at the offshore aquaculture cage. Continue reading →

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Educational Programs, Flats, Outreach, Student Research

Deep Creek Kids Discover the Life in the Creeks

Last week our Educational team led a three day natural history camp for nine kids from Deep Creek and the surrounding settlements. In addition to camp songs, rounds of the game ‘screaming toes’ and scavenger hunts, our educators introduced students to the terrestrial and marine life on the shores of Red Bays, Deep Creek and Paige Creek.

Adventure Log

lifejacketsDay 1: After intros and icebreakers we went to the beach to do a scavenger hunt, and build our own mangroves on the beach. In the afternoon, the group learned how to identify the red, white and black mangrove trees of Deep Creek and explored the slippery, slimy mud found here.

 

Branae&EliDay 2: A field trip to the Island School! The kids learned how to work together to move kayaks, both in the water and on land! After all that hard work in the morning, we hiked up Paige Creek and lazily floated out with the tide, identifying fish and invertebrates along the way.

Whit&AlishaDay 3: On our final day of camp, we went seining in the creeks with two of our interns, Stephen and Liam. After a couple of attempts, we successfully caught several species of fish and learned how climate change is affecting fish in these creeks – research our Flats team is currently conducting at CEI. After a picnic lunch in Deep Creek, the group showcased what they’d learned about life in the mangrove ecosystem by creating posters depicting the life found there.

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Educational Programs, Outreach

Eleutheran Explorers have adventures at CEI

Student jumping off of High Rock
Student jumping off of High Rock

The Eleutheran Explorers Camp is quickly approaching day 4. It’s true what they say about how time flies when you’re having fun! The last few days have been filled with day and night snorkels, learning about the sustainable systems, exploring the mangroves and visiting the aquaculture cage! They also took recycled materials from resources and turned it into art! The kids have a busy and fun filled next couple of days ahead of them.

Students getting a tour of the farm with Joseph
Students getting a tour of the farm with Joseph
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Educational Programs, Outreach, Sustainable Systems

Wemyss Bight Primary School Meets live animals at The Island School and CEI May 28, 2013 & June 6, 2013

Wemyss Bight PrimaryThe Grade twos and threes from Wemyss Bight Primary School have each come to visit The Island School campus and learn all about how animals get their food, water and protection in order to survive. After meeting and greeting the Educational Program staff, the students went to feed the pigs at the Island School Farm.  On site we have six incredibly large pigs that consume much of the food waste from our dining hall. The grade three students helped Fran shovel the leftover food into the pig pen and students and pigs equally squealed with delight. Next, the students met (and pet!) our Muskovy ducks that provide eggs for our kitchen and saw a mother duck incubating her egg.

Students from WBPS about to participate in a game that emphasizes living sustainably!
Students from WBPS about to participate in a game that emphasizes living sustainably!

After a snack break, the students explored how a variety of marine invertebrates survive in the ocean. They touched sea urchins, juvenile conch and a sea star. Throughout their visit, the students discovered different ways The Island School and CEI strive to tread lighter on our planet and balanced all this information out with a few silly games and tons of songs. We dropped them off back at WBPS with giant smiles, high fives and hugs just in time for lunch. The Educational Program staff is looking forward to working with the Grade six class from Governors Harbour next week!

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Conch, Lionfish, Outreach

Conch Fest 2013

This past weekend, CEI participated in Conch Fest, the Homecoming celebration for the settlement of Deep Creek, where several CEI staff call home. The focus of this year’s booth was to promote the National Conchservation Campaign, as well as to serve lionfish samples as an alternative to conch.

Deep Creek Middle School students gathered around the CEI booth for a lionfish sample. They had to answer trivia questions on conch and lionfish to get a taste!
Deep Creek Middle School students gathered around the CEI booth for a lionfish sample. They had to answer trivia questions on conch and lionfish to get a taste!
CEI staff Claire Thomas, Meredith Lemon, and Jocelyn Curtis-Quick posing by the CEI booth, ready to cook some lionfish!
CEI staff Claire Thomas, Meredith Lemon, and Jocelyn Curtis-Quick posing by the CEI booth, ready to cook some lionfish!

On Friday night, we served up fried lionfish, fresh out of the fryer. We gave away over 100 samples! Dozens of people came up saying “no you can’t eat that, it’ll kill you!” The truth is, lionfish do have venomous spines, but the meat is healthy and delicious, and once the fish is filleted it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Educating the community on the truth behind handling and eating lionfish was a priority for the researchers who came out to volunteer at the fest. Continue reading →

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Educational Programs, Outreach, Plastics, Student Research

More beach plastic surveys around Cape Eleuthera

IS students beach plastic surveyThe plastic pioneers of CEI have struck again!  Recently the Cape Eleuthera Institute embarked on a historical project studying macro and micro  plastic pollution on beaches in South Eleuthera. This unique project is the first of its kind here in The Bahamas and is led by Bahamian researcher Kristal Ambrose.

 

IMIs students beach plastic surveyThe project which is aided solely by the help of educational programs visiting CEI and students of the Island School and Deep Creek Middle School, has welcomed nearly 150 volunteers to this research project. So far the plastic team has surveyed 14 beaches on the island, with 4 remaining for assessment. Continue reading →

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Conch, Outreach

Conchservation Launch at Saturday’s Earth Day Event

Claire measuring queen conch lip thickness.
Claire measuring queen conch lip thickness.

This past Saturday was the launch of the national Conchservation campaign, as part of One Eleuthera’s Earth Day event at the Rock Sound Ocean Hole. CEI had researchers and staff from Educational Programs to man a booth aimed at educating the public on queen conch life history and reproductive ecology.

 

Deep Creek Middle School students working the CEI Conchservation booth
Deep Creek Middle School students working the CEI Conchservation booth

The booth was also manned by a group of 8 students from the Deep Creek Middle School. They talked to community members about the important of saving conch, so that we have conch in the future! CEI and One Eleuthera are only two parties in the team effort of Conchservation- other partners include Bahamas National Trust, with Jared Dillet spearheading the campaign, BREEF, Friends of the Environment, the Shedd Aquarium (Chicago, IL), the Moore Foundation, Community Conch, and the Department of Marine Resources. Continue reading →

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Outreach, Sustainable Systems

Tourism and Coastal Development Symposium on CEI campus

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This past Thursday, April 18, the Island School and CEI hosted a Tourism and Coastal Development Symposium. This event was organized by CEI, One Eleuthera, the Kinship Conservation Fellows, and other partners.The focus of the symposium was to discuss the future of Eleuthera, and guests included government officials, representatives from BREEF, One Eleuthera, FIsheries Conservation Foundation, Bahamas Electric Company, Bahamas Waste Ltd., and the Bahamas National Trust to name a few. Island School students also got the opportunity to attend the symposium, and to hear about these timely issues facing Eleuthera.

There were several productive breakout sessions, with topics ranging from “Tourism and Development” to “Fisheries and Agricultural Parks” to “the Cultural History of the Bahamas”. There were many important comments from the audience, including questions posed by Island School and Deep Creek Middle School students. Continue reading →

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